Spark gap



Patented Feb. 10, 1948 Hugo Benioff, Pasadena, Calif., assignor. by mesne assignments, to Submarine Signal Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application April 16, 1945, Serial No. 588,657

1- "The present invention relates toa series spark gap used particularly for radio circuits.

In a radio transmitting circuit it is highly desirable to use a spark gap which has ahigh breakdown potential and which quickly quenches, after the breakdown has occurred. Spark gaps for ac- Each of these rings is provided with acentral hole providing a sliding fit over the Mycalex rod. The

complishing this purpose are generally known as:

quench gaps of which the present invention is a simple type, easy to construct and assemble and efficient in operation,

In the present invention the series units are assembled on a central insulating rod which aligns the faces of the gaps parallel with one another and permits the use of spacers in assembly so that the distance between the gaps may be accurately established and maintained uniform one with the other. The gaps after assembly are enclosed-in a non-conducting casing which may be hermetically sealed with gas or'evacuated if desired. The ends of the evacuated vessel may serve. as the conducting elements to connect to the end electrodes of the gap so that it is not necessary to have conductors pass through the walls of the casing.

The invention will be more fully appreciated from the description in the specification below taken in connection with the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the same in which Fig. 1 shows a central section through the device, and Fig. 2 shows a section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

In the arrangement shown in the drawings, I may be a copper base which is provided with mounting holes 2 in the outwardly extending flange of the base. The base I is also provided with a neck or collar 3 extending from its face on one side into which the tube 4, which may be of Pyrex or other heat-resistant glass or other insulating material, is inserted. The collar 3 is provided with a flared-out portion 5 on the end where the tube 4 is inserted and a seal 6 is formed in the vertex around the tube 4 by suitable solder or other type of seal. A good seal may be effected by first coating the tube on the outside opposite the flared-out collar with silver preferably by baking the coating on and then soldering the collar and tube together with soft solder. Initially the gap is assembled without the tube in place. A central rod 1, which maybe of mycalex, or other suitable high-resistant material, is attached to the center of the base I in a recess 8 by means of the screw 9. The gaps themselves are formed with flat conducting rings III, II and I2. etc., which may be made of conducting mate- 7 Claims. (01. 250-275) end rings I0 and I4 are provided with terminal screws l5 and I6 by means of which electrical connections are made through the wires I! and I8 to the end members I and I9. Each ring, ex-

cept for the end rings I0 and I4, isprovided with two projecting tungsten points 20 and ZI posit-ioned on opposite faces of the rings. The-points may be symmetrically placed with respect tothe central rod at intervals of 180, 120 or any other large angle in successive rings. These tungsten electrodes may beflat and-are aligned and faced with similar electrodes as, for instance, 22 and 23 on adjacent rings. N

The construction of the ring on which the eleotrodes-are mounted is shown in face view in Fig; 2.

The ring is slotted at on one side and out through at 25 on the other side, the slot 24 providingflexibility for the ring and the cut 25 which goes completely through the ring providing means for clampingthe-ring on the rod '1; -A clamping screw 26 entering the ring through its edge draws the two halves of the ring together at the cut 25, thus permitting the ring to be clamped firmly in position in the assembly of the spark gap.

In the clamping of the ring the electrical connections are first made between the base I and the ring I0. The rod 1 may then be in position and the end ring I0 clamped in place. The other rings II and I2, etc., are then put in position with the aid of proper spacers between electrodes to establish the desired spacing. The rings then are tightened and clamped into place after which the spacers are removed and finally the wire I8 is connected to the terminal screw I5 on the ring I4 and the terminal screw 21 on the back plate I9. The back plate I9 is recessed at 28 at the center to receive the end of the Mycalex rod 1, a space being allowed for expansion of the rod. The end plate I9 is also provided with a collar 29 and a. flared-out end 30 into which the thermal resistant glass tubing 4 is sealed. Suitable terminal valve passages 3| and 32 may be provided either to evacuate the tube or to fill the tube with gas, which ever may be desired. In the present modification these passages are sealed by end plugs 33 and 34.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A series spark gap comprising an insulatin rod, a series of conducting rings fitting over said rod, said rings having electrodes one on each face of the rings, means for clamping said rings to the rod with desired spaced intervals, and electrical rial as. for instance, stainless steel or the like. connections to the end rings.

2. A series spark gap comprising an insulating rod, a plurality of discs having central holes, each disc having an electrode projecting from opposite faces but not aligned with one another, said disc being radially slotted on one side to said central opening and a clamping screw positioned in the edge of the disc extending across said slot for clamping the disc to said rod and electrical means connecting to the end discs of the series, said discs being of electrical conductive material.

3. A series spark gap comprising an insulating rod, a plurality of conducting discs fitting over said rod, each of said discs having electrodes on opposite faces not aligned with one another, means independently clamping each of said discs to said rod and electrical conductive means connecting to the end electrodes.

4. A series spark gap comprising an insulating rod, a plurality of conducting discs fitting over said rod, each of said discs having electrodes on opposite faces not aligned with one another,- means independently clamping each of said discs to said rod, a casing for said spark gap comprising a plate to which said rod is attached, a concentric cylindrical flange extending from the surface of said plate, a heat-resistant glass cylinder positioned concentric with said rod and having a seal with said flanges, a cylindrical cap having a flared flange fitting over the other end of said glass cylinder and having a central recess providing a support for said rod, said plate and said cap being conductive, and electrical conductive means connecting said endelectrode on the one side to said plate and on the other side to said cap.

5. A series spark gap comprising an insulating rod, a plurality of conducting discs fitting over said rod, each of said discs having electrodes on opposite faces not aligned with one another, means independently clamping each of said discs to said rod, a casing for said series spark gap including end members supporting said rod and a concentric heat-resistant glass cylinder joining said end members and hermetically sealed therewith, said glass cylinder also acting as an insulator between said end members.

6. A series spark gap comprising an insulating rod, a plurality of conducting discs fitting over said rod, each of said discs having electrodes on opposite faces not aligned with one another, meansindependently clampingea'ch of said discs to said rod, a casing for said series spark gap including end members supporting said .rod, a concentric heat-resistant glass cylinder joining said end members and hermetically sealed there'- with, said glass cylinder also acting as an insulator between said end members, and means whereby the chamber within the glass may be filled with inert gas or evacuated.

7. A series spark gap comprising an insulated rod, a plurality of conducting plates having central holes therethrough, each of said plates having a slot extending through to said opening and on the opposite side being provided with a out not extending through to said opening forming a flexible clamping ring with said plate whereby said plate may be clamped in any position on said rod, said plate being provided with electrodes on either face adapted to be aligned with other electrodes in other plates, the electrodes on any plate not beingaligned with each other.

' .HUGO BENIOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this'patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v, 1,017,648 Chapman et a1 Feb. 20, 191-2 1,990,177 Friedrichsen Feb. 5, 1935 1,328,288 Marino Jan. 20, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 496,643 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1938 

